The reality of man is his thought ...

"The reality of man is his thought, not his material body. The thought force and the animal force are partners. Although man is part of the animal creation, he possesses a power of thought superior to all other created beings.
 If a man's thought is constantly aspiring towards heavenly subjects then does he become saintly; if on the other hand his thought does not soar, but is directed downwards to centre itself upon the things of this world, he grows more and more material until he arrives at a state little better than that of a mere animal.
 Thoughts may be divided into two classes:
 1. Thought that belongs to the world of thought alone.
 2. Thought that expresses itself in action.
 Some men and women glory in their exalted thoughts, but if these thoughts never reach the plane of action they remain useless: the power of thought is dependent on its manifestation in deeds."

 Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks

آموزش زیر آتش

If I were -- a Bahá'í -- in Egypt!

By Tarek Heggy.

  If I were Bahá'í I would have informed the world of the systematic plan to eliminate all trace of the Bahá'í Faith and the Baháís from Egypt. 
 If I were Bahá’í: I would have brought to the attention of all the great personalities and the intellectuals of the world the respect and regard with which their peers in Egypt received ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (Son of Bahá’u’lláh) during His visit to this country in the early 20th. Century, and with what filth and disregard today's pretentious personalities and false intellectuals of Egypt smear the fair name of Bahá’í and the Bahá’ís. 
 If I were Bahá’í: I would have taken for witness the concourse of Justice in the world on the subject of the Al-Azhar Establishment and say to its honourable Ulamá: How could you decide today that Bahá’í is not a religion when the Superior Shar'ia Tribunal of Beba/Souhag ruled in 1925 that "Bahá’í is an independent religion."
 If I were Bahá’í: I would have taken for witness the concourse of Justice in the world on the subject of the Al-Azhar Establishment which with all the mosques, mesdjids and kettab schools at their disposal in Egypt, have found it necessary to disown the Bahá’í Community of their main Centre building to use it for a Qur’ánic school.
 If I were Bahá’í: I would have taken for witness the concourse of Justice in the world on the subject of the imprisonment of some 92 Bahá’ís--men and women--aged between 2 and 80 years. They were arrested between midnight and dawn from all over Egypt and transferred to jail in Tanta; then falsely accused of treason, misconduct and espionage, far and wide in the media, for no other reason than because they are Bahá’í. If I were Bahá’í: I would have taken for witness the concourse of Justice in the world on the frequent arrest of Bahá’ís, men and women, their incarceration in jail for days, weeks or months for interrogation. The courts have never found them guilty of neither crime nor fault, but they were Bahá’í. 
 If I were Bahá’í: I would have taken for witness the concourse of Art in the west and in the east, to the case of one of the greatest and most admired artists of Egypt, Hussein Bikar, who was arrested in his home and driven to jail with other renowned Bahá’ís for days of interrogation regarding his and their Bahá’í Faith. 
 If I were Bahá’í: I would have taken for witness the concourse of Art in the west and in the east, and would say to them: Hussein Bikar, one of the greatest and most admired Artists of Egypt had no Identity card at his death at almost 90 years of age. The Egyptian Authorities refused to issue one with "Bahá’í" mentioned in the space for religion. 
 If I were Bahá’í: I would have taken for witness the world Organizations of Law and Justice and of Human Rights, government and non-government alike, and said to them: imagine that in Egypt of the 21st. Century, individual Identity Cards have to include the binding indication of the religion of the individual? 
 If I were Bahá’í: I would have taken for witness the world Organizations of Law and Justice and of Human Rights, government and non-government alike, and said to them: imagine that in Egypt of the 21st. Century, individual Identity Cards must include the binding indication of one of only three religions notwithstanding the individual's wish or faith? 
 If I were Bahá’í: I would have taken for witness the world Organizations of Law and Justice and of Human Rights, government and non-government alike, and said to them: in Egypt of the 21st. Century, the sons and daughters of Bahá’ís are issued individual Identity Cards with a dash (--) for religion while their parents are refused identity cards: WHY? Because the Egyptian State does not recognize Bahá’í marriage! O people of the world: come and take stock of administrative excellence! 
 If I were Bahá’í: I would have taken for witness all the Ministers of Education of the world and informed them that: the Minister of Education of Egypt has declared that he will refuse admittance of children--yes children of Bahá’ís to the government schools because the children are Bahá’í!
 If I were Bahá’í: I would have informed the world that the new Egyptian Constitution contains the necessary elements for the elimination of the Bahá’í minority in Egypt.
 If I were Bahá’í: I would have informed the world that burning the homes of Bahá’ís takes place with impunity in Egypt.
 If I were Bahá’í: I would have taken for witness the world Organizations of Mass Media, of Law and Justice and of Human Rights, government and non-government alike, and informed them that in Egypt, inciting to kill Bahá’ís, through TV and speeches is normal and is done with impunity!
 In spite of all this: If I were Bahá’í: I would have said to those in authority in Egypt: I am loyal to my country, I love my country, I strive for the success and progress of my country and I consider the children of my neighbours as my children without consideration of religion or creed. How wonderful would Egypt be were you, who are in authority, to follow in this same path.

http://www.bahai-egypt.org/

"the more they show hatred & opposition toward thee, challenge thou them with great truthfulness, friendship & reconciliation." #Bahai http://twitter.com/Bahai_Quote/status/295338640299659264

Arts, crafts and sciences uplift ...

…Arts, crafts and sciences uplift the world of being, and are conducive to its exaltation. Knowledge is as wings to man’s life, and a ladder for his ascent. Its acquisition is incumbent upon everyone. The knowledge of such sciences, however, should be acquired as can profit the peoples of the earth, and not those which begin with words and end with words….
In truth, knowledge is a veritable treasure for man, and a source of glory, of bounty, of joy, of exaltation, of cheer and gladness unto him. Happy the man that cleaveth unto it, and woe betide the heedless.

Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf

Translation of Baha'u'llah's Rashh-i Ama (The Mist of Unknown)

It is generally believed that Baha'u'llah's earliest extant revelation and the only preserved tablet revealed in Iran is the poem known as Rashh-i Ama. It was revealed during Baha'u'llah's imprisonment in the Siyah-Chal (Black Pit) dungeon in Tehran, sometime between the months of August and November 1852....

Our charm bids waft the Mist of Unknown
    Mystery of fidelity thus flows from Our tone
The east wind, musk-laden, from Cathay whirls
    Its scent so sweet streams forth from Our curls
The ornamented sun from the True One hath risen
     Mystery of reality from Our visage doth blazon
The sea of purity roars from waves of rapture
   This gift bestowed from His essence We capture
Love's treasures lie hid in the bosom of Fars
   Out this treasure-trove Pearls of Fidelity pours
Delight of wine evinced when All  was manifested
   To songs of providence  this Sublime Token attested
A blast on the trumpet, the attraction divine
    These two in one blow flow from the Exalted Clime
Confessed Our face to the cycle of: "I am He"
   Baha is brimming with the epoch of: "He is He"
The river of life shimmers in the closet of the heart
    This sweet wine the ruby lips of Baha doth part
The day of God by the Lord's effulgence is complete
    The warbling in Tehran from these novel words is replete
Glory overflowing, behold! Misty unknowing, behold!
     All this from one melody thy Lord doth sing, behold!
 Lo! The immortal Perfect Mystic, the Pristine Dawn
    The Pure Breast from the Highest Throne out drawn
 Lo! The Tree of Paradise, heark the Nightingale's song
    This Glorious warbling from the Light of Purity hath sprung
 Hearken the Persian melody, the Arabian tambourine
    Hearken the 'No' rhythm from the Hand of Divine
See dawning of the Godhead, the Maid of Paradise
    How mystery of Unknown from earthly appearance doth arise
 Lo! Remnant's Countenance, Cupbearer's Face Lo!
   The translucent glass pouring out from Our Chalice
Behold the Burning Bush, see the Hand so white
   Behold Mount Sinai radiating from the Palm so bright
 Hear his intoxicated moans, see the mystic ecstatic
    In the precincts of rapture all living beings are charismatic
 From His peek, observe the amorous glance of Baha
    From His reed, hearken the Farsi melody of Baha
 Emergence of Revelation 'tis, Effusion of Purity 'tis
    Warbling of Nightingales 'tis, that pours out of Nothingness!

http://bahai-library.com/provisionals/rashh-ama.html

O servant of Baha!

O servant of Baha! It behoveth thee to render thanks unto the Threshold of the Lord of Oneness for the afflictions that have befallen thee, inasmuch as the adversities that are borne in the path of the one true God are but the revelations of His tender mercy, and any such tribulation is the essence of His bounty.
 This life is like unto vapour in a desert and the existence of every thing is as a mere illusion, evanescent and bound to extinction. That which endureth is the spiritual reality, it is the shining essence; it is life eternal, it is undisturbed felicity, unfading and perpetual, flourishing and plenteous. The revolution of cycles is powerless to ravage it, nor can the succession of ages and centuries molest it. Therefore, this divinely-ordained reality, this heavenly sign, must needs be preserved.
 And the amazing thing is this that the most effective means whereby this light of truth is safeguarded and protected is the onslaught of the enemies, grievous ordeals and manifold hardships. The globe of this lamp is the tempestuous winds and the safety of this ship lieth in the violence of tumultuous waves.
 Therefore one must show forth gratitude in the face of Job-like afflictions and must evince joy and pleasure at the unyielding cruelty of evil-doers, inasmuch as such tribulations lead to immortality, and serve as the supreme factor to attract His consummate blessings and infinite bestowals. And upon thee be the glory of the Most Glorious.

‘Abdu’l-Baha, ‘Fire and Light’ compilation;

This is the Best-Beloved of the worlds,..

In His [Baha'u' llah] Suratu'l-Haykal (the Surih of the Temple) He thus describes those breathless moments when the Maiden, symbolizing the "Most Great Spirit" proclaimed His mission to the entire creation: "While engulfed in tribulations I heard a most wondrous, a most sweet voice, calling above My head. Turning My face, I beheld a Maiden -- the embodiment of the remembrance of the name of My Lord -- suspended in the air before Me. So rejoiced was she in her very soul that her countenance shone with the ornament of the good-pleasure of God, and her cheeks glowed with the brightness of the All-Merciful. Betwixt earth and heaven she was raising a call which captivated the hearts and minds of men. She was imparting to both My inward and outer being tidings which rejoiced My soul, and the souls of God's honored servants. Pointing with her finger unto My head, she addressed all who are in heaven and all who are on earth, saying: 'By God! This is the Best-Beloved of the worlds, and yet ye comprehend not. This is the Beauty of God amongst you, and the power of His sovereignty within you, could ye but understand. This is the Mystery of God and His Treasure, the Cause of God and His glory unto all who are in the kingdoms of Revelation and of creation, if ye be of them that perceive.'"

Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By

پاسخ جامعه بهائی به اتهامات بی پایه و مزحک دستگاه روحانیت

Part one.

Part two.

مثنوي جمال مبارك

اي بهاءالله چه نارت برفروخت خرمن هستي عشاقان بسوخت

يك شرر از نار بر دلها زدي صد هزاران سدره بر سينا زدي

پس ز هر دل سدره ها آمد پديد موسيا اينجا به سر ، بايد دويد

تا كه نار اللهِ معني را زِ جان بنگريد و وارهيد از قبطيان

اي ذبيح الله ز قربانگاه عشق برمگرد و جان بده در راه عشق

بي سر و بي جان بيا در كوي يار تا شوي مقبول اهلِ اين ديار

وادي عشق است روح الله بيا با صليب از راه و هم بي ره بيا

از فلك بگذر هم از معراج جسم اي تو شاه جان و هم بهاج جسم

بلبل روحي تو بر گلزار روح باز مي آئي تو مهماندار روح

ساعد شَه مسكَنَت اي باز جان سوي مقصد آي اينجا رايگان

مثنوي جمال مبارك

O Oppressors on Earth!

O Oppressors on Earth! Withdraw your hands from tyranny, for I have pledged Myself not to forgive any man’s injustice. This is My covenant which I have irrevocably decreed in the preserved tablet and sealed it with My seal of glory.

 The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh

... always be unified and agreed...

Inasmuch as great differences and divergences of denominational belief had arisen throughout the past, every man with a new idea attributing it to God, Bahá'u'lláh desired that there should not be any ground or reason for disagreement among the Bahá'ís. Therefore, with His own pen He wrote the Book of His Covenant, addressing His relations and all people of the world, saying, "Verily, I have appointed One Who is the Center of My Covenant. All must obey Him; all must turn to Him; He is the Expounder of My Book, and He is informed of My purpose. All must turn to Him. Whatsoever He says is correct, for, verily, He knoweth the texts of My Book. Other than He, no one doth know My Book." The purpose of this statement is that there should never be discord and divergence among the Bahá'ís but that they should always be unified and agreed.... Therefore, whosoever obeys the Center of the Covenant appointed by Bahá'u'lláh has obeyed Bahá'u'lláh, and whosoever disobeys Him has disobeyed Bahá'u'lláh.... Beware! Beware! lest anyone should speak from the authority of his own thoughts or create a new thing out of himself. Beware! Beware! According to the explicit Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh you should care nothing at all for such a person. Bahá'u'lláh shuns such souls.

‘Abdu’l-Baha, ‘The Promulgation of Universal Peace

Love is light ...

Every soul may seek everlasting life through the breath of the Merciful. Life in this mortal world will quickly come to an end, and this earthly glory, wealth, comfort and happiness will soon vanish and be no more. Summon ye the people to God and call the souls to the manners and conduct of the Supreme Concourse. To the orphans be ye kind fathers, and to the unfortunate a refuge and shelter. To the poor be a treasure of wealth, and to the sick a remedy and healing. Be a helper of every oppressed one, the protector of every destitute one, be ye ever mindful to serve any soul of mankind. Attach no importance to self-seeking, rejection, arrogance, oppression and enmity. Heed them not. Deal in the contrary way. Be kind in truth, not only in appearance and outwardly. Every soul of the friends of God must concentrate his mind on this, that he may manifest the mercy of God and the bounty of the Forgiving One. He must do good to every soul whom he encounters, and render benefit to him, becoming the cause of improving the morals and correcting the thoughts so that the light of guidance may shine forth and the bounty of His Holiness the Merciful One may encompass. Love is light in whatsoever house it may shine and enmity is darkness in whatsoever abode it dwell.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í World Faith,

Through their (The American believers) initial victories ...

Through their (The American believers) initial victories they have provided the impulse that must now surge and, with relentless force sweep over their sister-communities and eventually overpower the entire human race. The generality of mankind, blind and enslaved, is wholly unaware of the healing power with which this community has been endowed, nor can it as yet suspect the role which this same community is destined to play in its redemption. Fierce and manifold will be the assaults with which governments, races, classes and religions, jealous of its rising prestige and fearful of its consolidating strength, will seek to silence its voice and sap its foundations. Unmoved by the relative obscurity that surrounds it at the present time, and undaunted by the forces that will be arrayed against it in the future, this community, I cannot but feel confident, will, no matter how afflictive the agonies of a travailing age, pursue its destiny, undeflected in its course, undimmed in its serenity, unyielding in its resolve, unshaken in its convictions.

Shoghi Effendi, Messages to America

Every imperfect soul is ...

Every imperfect soul is self-centred and thinketh only of his own good. But as his thoughts expand a little he will begin to think of the welfare and comfort of his family. If his ideas still more widen, his concern will be the felicity of his fellow citizens; and if still they widen, he will be thinking of the glory of his land and of his race.
But when ideas and views reach the utmost degree of expansion and attain the stage of perfection, then will he be interested in the exaltation of humankind. He will then be the well-wisher of all men and the seeker of the weal and prosperity of all lands. This is indicative of perfection. Thus, the divine Manifestations of God had a universal and all-inclusive conception. They endeavoured for the sake of everyone’s life and engaged in the service of universal education. The area of their aims was not limited—nay, rather, it was wide and all-inclusive. Therefore, ye must also be thinking of everyone, so that mankind may be educated, character moderated and this world may turn into a Garden of Eden.
Love ye all religions and all races with a love that is true and sincere and show that love through deeds and not through the tongue; for the latter hath no importance, as the majority of men are, in speech, well-wishers, while action is the best.

Selections From the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

... every created thing is a sign of ...

Know thou that every created thing is a sign of the revelation of God. Each, according to its capacity, is, and will ever remain, a token of the Almighty. Inasmuch as He, the sovereign Lord of all, hath willed to reveal His sovereignty in the kingdom of names and attributes, each and every created thing hath, through the act of the Divine Will, been made a sign of His glory. So pervasive and general is this revelation that nothing whatsoever in the whole universe can be discovered that doth not reflect His splendor. Under such conditions every consideration of proximity and remoteness is obliterated…. Were the Hand of Divine power to divest of this high endowment all created things, the entire universe would become desolate and void.

Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh

The full measure of your success ...

Let anyone inclined to doubt the course which this enviable community is destined to follow, turn to and meditate upon these words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, enshrined, for all time, in the Tablets of the Divine Plan, and addressed to the entire community of the believers of the United States and Canada: “The full measure of your success,” He informs them, “is as yet unrevealed, its significance still unapprehended. Erelong, ye will, with your own eyes, witness how brilliantly every one of you, even as a shining star, will radiate, in the firmament of your country, the light of Divine Guidance, and will bestow upon its people the glory of an everlasting life…. The range of your future achievements still remains undisclosed. I fervently hope that in the near future the whole earth may be stirred and shaken by the results of your achievements. The hope, therefore, which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá cherishes for you is that the same success which has attended your efforts in America may crown your endeavors in other parts of the world, that through you the fame of the Cause of God may be diffused throughout the East and the West, and the advent of the Kingdom of the Lord of Hosts be proclaimed in all the five continents of the globe.” “The moment,” He most significantly adds, “this Divine Message is carried forward by the American believers from the shores of America, and is propagated throughout the continents of Europe, of Asia, of Africa, and of Australasia, and as far as the islands of the Pacific, this community will find itself securely established upon the throne of an everlasting dominion. Then will all the peoples of the world witness that this community is spiritually illumined and divinely guided. Then will the whole earth resound with the praises of its majesty and greatness.”

Shoghi Effendi, The Advent of Divine Justice

O thou who art turning thy face towards God!

O thou who art turning thy face towards God! Close thine eyes to all things else, and open them to the realm of the All-Glorious. Ask whatsoever thou wishest of Him alone; seek whatsoever thou seekest from Him alone. With a look He granteth a hundred thousand hopes, with a glance He healeth a hundred thousand incurable ills, with a nod He layeth balm on every wound, with a glimpse He freeth the hearts from the shackles of grief. He doeth as He doeth, and what recourse have we? He carrieth out His Will, He ordaineth what He pleaseth. Then better for thee to bow down thy head in submission, and put thy trust in the All-Merciful Lord.

Selections From the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

The twin processes of internal disintegration and external chaos ...

Pregnant indeed are the years looming ahead of us all. The twin processes of internal disintegration and external chaos are being accelerated and every day are inexorably moving towards a climax. The rumblings that must precede the eruption of those forces that must cause “the limbs of humanity to quake” can already be heard. “The time of the end,” “the latter years,” as foretold in the Scriptures, are at long last upon us. The Pen of Bahá’u’lláh, the voice of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, have time and again, insistently and in terms unmistakable, warned an unheeding humanity of impending disaster. The Community of the Most Great Name, the leaven that must leaven the lump, the chosen remnant that must survive the rolling up of the old, discredited, tottering order, and assist in the unfoldment of a new one in its stead, is standing ready, alert, clear-visioned, and resolute. The American believers, standard-bearers of this world-wide community and torch-bearers of an as yet unborn civilization, have girt up their loins, unfurled their banners and stepped into the arena of service. Their Plan has been formulated. Their forces are mobilized. They are steadfastly marching towards their goal. The hosts of the Abhá Kingdom are rushing forth, as promised, to direct their steps and reinforce their power.

Shoghi Effendi, letter dated July 5, 1938; ‘Messages to America’

Subdue the citadels of men's hearts with ...

O people of Bahá! Subdue the citadels of men's hearts with the swords of wisdom and of utterance. They that dispute, as prompted by their desires, are indeed wrapped in a palpable veil. Say: The sword of wisdom is hotter than summer heat, and sharper than blades of steel, if ye do but understand. Draw it forth in My name and through the power of My might, and conquer, then, with it the cities of the hearts of them that have secluded themselves in the stronghold of their corrupt desires. Thus biddeth you the Pen of the All-Glorious, whilst seated beneath the swords of the wayward. If ye become aware of a sin committed by another, conceal it, that God may conceal your own sin. He, verily, is the Concealer, the Lord of grace abounding. O ye rich ones on earth! If ye encounter one who is poor, treat him not disdainfully. Reflect upon that whereof ye were created. Every one of you was created of a sorry germ."

Bahá'u'lláh, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts

Girls education

‎"There can be no improvement unless the girls are brought up in schools and centres of learning, unless they are taught the sciences and other branches of knowledge, and unless they acquire the manifold arts, as necessary, and are divinely trained. For the day will come when these girls will become mothers. Mothers are the first educators of children, who establish virtues in the child’s inner nature. They encourage the child to acquire perfections and goodly manners, warn him against unbecoming qualities, and encourage him to show forth resolve, firmness, and endurance under hardship, and to advance on the high road to progress. Due regard for the education of girls is, therefore, necessary."

A Compilation on Women, compiled by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice.

  The Bahá’ís started some of the first girls’ schools in Iran. Shown here are a group of pre-school girls at the Tarbiyat School for Girls in Tehran, circa 1930. Photo © Bahá’í International Community.

The resistless march of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh,

"From the record of its tumultuous history, almost every page of which portrays a fresh crisis, is laden with the description of a new calamity, recounts the tale of a base betrayal, and is stained with the account of unspeakable atrocities, there emerges, clear and incontrovertible, the supreme truth that with every fresh outbreak of hostility to the Faith, whether from within or from without, a corresponding measure of outpouring grace, sustaining its defenders and confounding its adversaries, has been providentially released, communicating a fresh impulse to the onward march of the Faith, while this impetus, in its turn, would through its manifestations, provoke fresh hostility in quarters heretofore unaware of its challenging implications--this increased hostility being accompanied by a still more arresting revelation of Divine Power and a more abundant effusion of celestial grace, which, by enabling the upholders of that Faith to register still more brilliant victories, would thereby generate issues of still more vital import and raise up still more formidable enemies against a Cause that cannot but, in the end, resolve those issues and crush the resistance of those enemies, through a still more glorious unfoldment of its inherent power.
 The resistless march of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh, viewed in this light, and propelled by the stimulating influences which the unwisdom of its enemies and the force latent within itself, both engender, resolves itself into a series of rhythmic pulsations, precipitated, on the one hand, through the explosive outbursts of its foes, and the vibrations of Divine Power, on the other, which speed it, with ever-increasing momentum, along that predestined course traced for it by the Hand of the Almighty."

(Hand-written postscript 12 August 1941, Shoghi Effendi: Messages to America: Selected Letters and Cablegrams Addressed to the Bahá'ís of North America, 1932-1946. Bahá'í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, 1947. p. 51) 

Bahiyyih Khanum: The Greatest Holy Leaf

He is the Eternal! This is My testimony for her who hath heard My voice and drawn nigh unto Me. Verily, she is a leaf that hath sprung from this preexistent Root. She hath revealed herself in My name and tasted of the sweet savours of My holy, My wondrous pleasure. At one time We gave her to drink from My honeyed Mouth, at another caused her to partake of My mighty, My luminous Kawthar. Upon her rest the glory of My name and the fragrance of My shining robe.

  Bahá'u'lláh's original Arabic of the above is inscribed around the circular dome of the Greatest Holy Leaf's monument on Mount Carmel

Nearness to God is dependent upon ...

Nearness to God is dependent upon purity of the heart and exhilaration of the spirit through the glad tidings of the Kingdom. Consider how a pure, well-polished mirror fully reflects the effulgence of the sun, no matter how distant the sun may be. As soon as the mirror is cleaned and purified, the sun will manifest itself. The more pure and sanctified the heart of man becomes, the nearer it draws to God, and the light of the Sun of Reality is revealed within it. This light sets hearts aglow with the fire of the love of God, opens in them the doors of knowledge and unseals the divine mysteries so that spiritual discoveries are made possible.

`Abdu'l-BaháThe Promulgation of Universal Peace

Prerequisites of the peace and tranquillity

The Great Being, wishing to reveal the prerequisites of the peace and tranquillity of the world and the advancement of its peoples, hath written: The time must come when the imperative necessity for the holding of a vast, an all-embracing assemblage of men will be universally realized. The rulers and kings of the earth must needs attend it, and, participating in its deliberations, must consider such ways and means as will lay the foundations of the world’s Great Peace amongst men. Such a peace demandeth that the Great Powers should resolve, for the sake of the tranquillity of the peoples of the earth, to be fully reconciled among themselves. Should any king take up arms against another, all should unitedly arise and prevent him. If this be done, the nations of the world will no longer require any armaments, except for the purpose of preserving the security of their realms and of maintaining internal order within their territories. This will ensure the peace and composure of every people, government and nation. We fain would hope that the kings and rulers of the earth, the mirrors of the gracious and almighty name of God, may attain unto this station, and shield mankind from the onslaught of tyranny.

Bahá’u’lláh,LAWḤ-I-MAQṢÚD (Tablet of Maqṣúd)

پیام مرکز جهانی بهائی مورخ 2 ژانویه 2013

٣ شهرالشّرف ١٦٩
١٣ دی ١٣٩١

پیروان جان‌فشان حضرت بهاءالله در کشور مقدّس ایران ملاحظه فرمایند
 دوستان عزیز و محبوب، جای بسی دل‌گرمی است که بسیاری از مردم شریف ایران علی‌رغم مشکلات فراوان موجود در راه پیشرفت کشور خود مشتاقانه در صددند که اجتماعی پیشرو بنیان نهند تا در آن توان‌مندی‌های بی‌نظیرشان شکوفا شود و وسایل رفاه و آسایش هم‌وطنان‌شان مهیّا گردد. نفوس بی‌شماری به ویژه جوانان روشن‌ضمیر آماده‌اند تا قوا و استعدادهای خدادادۀ خود را صرف توسعۀ اجتماعی و اقتصادی وطن مألوف نمایند. موجب خوشوقتی این جمع است که شما عزیزان نیز با وجود استمرار مظالم و بی‌عدالتی‌هایی که از هر جهت شما را احاطه نموده می‌کوشید تا سهم خود را در این مجهود عظیم ادا نمایید. موفّقیّت در چنین اقدام مهمّی مستلزم مشورت و گفتگوی آزاد و دوستانه در بین گروه‌های مختلف اجتماع به منظور کسب شناختی وسیع‌تر و درکی عمیق‌تر نسبت به بسیاری از مفاهیم مرتبط و مهمِّ توسعۀ اجتماعی و اقتصادی است. لذا به پیوست ترجمۀ فارسی بیانیّۀ مورّخ ١٩٩٥ دفتر اطّلاعات عمومی جامعۀ بین‌المللی بهائی تحت عنوان "رفاه عالم انسانی" که اصل انگلیسی آن در همان سال برای مطالعه به کلّیّۀ محافل روحانی ملّی فرستاده شده بود برای آن عزیزان ارسال ‌می‌گردد. امید چنان است که تعمّق و تأمّل در مندرجات این سند ارزنده بهائیان ایران را در تبادل نظر و تشریک مساعی با دیگر ایرانیان نیک‌اندیش و علاقه‌مند به پیشرفت و سربلندی آن سرزمین مقدّس یاری نماید. در اعتاب مقدّسۀ علیا مزید تأیید و توفیق آن یاران باوفا را از جمال اقدس ابهی مسئلت می‌نماییم.

 [امضا: بیت العدل اعظم]

خطاب به بهائیان ایران

رفاه عالم انسانی

U.S. House of Representatives Passes Resolution 134 Condemning the Persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran

WASHINGTON — Last night, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution “condemning the government of Iran for its state-sponsored persecution of its Bahá’í minority and its continued violation of the International Covenants on Human Rights.” H.Res.134 is the 23rd Congressional resolution since 1982 to address the oppression of the Bahá’ís in Iran.
 “The Bahá’í community is encouraged by the emphasis the U.S. Congress has placed on the human rights abuses in Iran,” said Mr. Kenneth E. Bowers, Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States. “We are convinced that this continued international pressure has kept the situation for the Bahá’ís in Iran from getting much worse.”

 The resolution also called on the President and Secretary of State, together with responsible nations, to condemn the ongoing persecution of the Bahá’ís in Iran, and to demand the release of religious prisoners, including seven Bahá’í leaders who have been sentenced to 20 years in prison – Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid Rezaie, Mrs. Mahvash Sabet, Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Mr. Vahid Tizfahm. Further, the resolution urged the President and Secretary of State to utilize measures “to sanction officials of the Government of Iran and other individuals directly responsible for egregious human rights violations in Iran, including against the Bahá’í community.”

 Persecution of Bahá’ís

A world, torn with conflicting passions ...

A world, torn with conflicting passions, and perilously disintegrating from within, finds itself confronted, at so crucial an epoch in its history, by the rising fortunes of an infant Faith, a Faith that, at times, seems to be drawn into its controversies, entangled by its conflicts, eclipsed by its gathering shadows, and overpowered by the mounting tide of its passions. In its very heart, within its cradle, at the seat of its first and venerable Temple, in one of its hitherto flourishing and potentially powerful centers, the as-yet unemancipated Faith of Bahá’u’lláh seems indeed to have retreated before the onrushing forces of violence and disorder to which humanity is steadily falling a victim. The strongholds of such a Faith, one by one and day after day, are to outward seeming being successively isolated, assaulted and captured. As the lights of liberty flicker and go out, as the din of discord grows louder and louder every day, as the fires of fanaticism flame with increasing fierceness in the breasts of men, as the chill of irreligion creeps relentlessly over the soul of mankind, the limbs and organs that constitute the body of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh appear, in varying measure, to have become afflicted with the crippling influences that now hold in their grip the whole of the civilized world.

Shoghi Effendi, ‘The Advent of Divine Justice’

True civilization will unfurl ... 2

All the forces of humanity must be mobilized to ensure the stability and permanence of this Most Great Covenant. In this all-embracing Pact the limits and frontiers of each and every nation should be clearly fixed, the 65 principles underlying the relations of governments towards one another definitely laid down, and all international agreements and obligations ascertained. In like manner, the size of the armaments of every government should be strictly limited, for if the preparations for war and the military forces of any nation should be allowed to increase, they will arouse the suspicion of others. The fundamental principle underlying this solemn Pact should be so fixed that if any government later violate any one of its provisions, all the governments on earth should arise to reduce it to utter submission, nay the human race as a whole should resolve, with every power at its disposal, to destroy that government. Should this greatest of all remedies be applied to the sick body of the world, it will assuredly recover from its ills and will remain eternally safe and secure.

`Abdu'l-Bahá, The Secret of Divine Civilization

True civilization will unfurl ...1

True civilization will unfurl its banner in the midmost heart of the world whenever a certain number of its distinguished and high-minded sovereigns—the shining exemplars of devotion and determination—shall, for the good and happiness of all mankind, arise, with firm resolve and clear vision, to establish the Cause of Universal Peace. They must make the Cause of Peace the object of general consultation, and seek by every means in their power to establish a Union of the nations of the world. They must conclude a binding treaty and establish a covenant, the provisions of which shall be sound, inviolable and definite. They must proclaim it to all the world and obtain for it the sanction of all the human race. This supreme and noble undertaking—the real source of the peace and well-being of all the world—should be regarded as sacred by all that dwell on earth.

`Abdu'l-Bahá, The Secret of Divine Civilization

... high standard of moral conduct ...

It must be remembered, however, that the maintenance of such a high standard of moral conduct is not to be associated or confused with any form of asceticism, or of excessive and bigoted puritanism. The standard inculcated by Bahá'u'lláh, seeks, under no circumstances, to deny anyone the legitimate right and privilege to derive the fullest advantage and benefit from the manifold joys, beauties, and pleasures with which the world has been so plentifully enriched by an All-Loving Creator. "Should a man," Bahá'u'lláh Himself reassures us, "wish to adorn himself with the ornaments of the earth, to wear its apparels, or partake of the benefits it can bestow, no harm can befall him, if he alloweth nothing whatever to intervene between him and God, for God hath ordained every good thing, whether created in the heavens or in the earth, for such of His servants as truly believe in Him. Eat ye, O people, of the good things which God hath allowed you, and deprive not yourselves from His wondrous bounties. Render thanks and praise unto Him, and be of them that are truly thankful."

Shoghi Effendi, "The Advent of Divine Justice"

... one indeed is a man who,...

That one indeed is a man who, today, dedicateth himself to the service of the entire human race. The Great Being saith: Blessed and happy is he that ariseth to promote the best interests of the peoples and kindreds of the earth. In another passage He hath proclaimed: It is not for him to pride himself who loveth his own country, but rather for him who loveth the whole world. The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens.


Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh

آموزش زیر آتش

آموزش زیر آتش

تحصیلات عالیه امری است که امروز بهاییان ایران از آن‌ محروم می‌‌باشند و به دلیل تلاش برای دست یافتن به این حق بدیهی‌ و اولیه، یعنی‌ حق تحصیل، دچار بی‌ مهری و ...